Community Should Be Supportive Of Paper

Sept. 3, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: Matt Paxton told us in his column last week that the nationwide crisis regarding an informed citizenry has reached the Rockbridge area.

Now that advertisers can reach their intended audiences more directly through social media, newspapers and other generalcirculation publications no longer have a viable economic model.

As Mr. Paxton noted, newspapers are much weaker or are simply disappearing. An average of two newspapers a week have died in the last few years. An estimated 70 million people in the U.S. live in what is called a news desert, where there is no regular coverage of their local governments and school boards, high school sports, or how the local economy is doing.

Mr. Paxton is trying to keep that from happening to us. We should be grateful and supportive.

One solution Mr. Paxton says he is investigating is the Cardinal News, an online publication covering Southside and Southwest Virginia with intelligent, in-depth reportage and analysis. I am a fan. Whatever approach he chooses to continue providing us local news, I hope people in the Rockbridge area will support it. There is no democracy without an informed populace. HAMPDEN SMITH Rockbridge County